Just reading about Shaq O’Neal and LeBron James as an unlikelu duo of the season’s Cavaliers. LeBron, the younger guy, is the rising star while Shaq is…well, Shaq. I read his autobiography a few years ago. Let’s just say the dimensions of Shaq’s ego are proportionate to Shaq’s height and weight.
The WSJ article shows that Shaq agreed: LeBron will be the leader. But it’s not clear whether the new teammates share a definition of leader. Both have short contracts and a determination to win a championship. LeBron has never won a championship; Shaq has won four and says winning the fifth is “a guy thing.”
Another famous pairing: Tom Hanks took a subordinate role to Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie, Catch Me If You Can. I read that Tom actually went to Leonardo, saying something like, “You’ll be the star. I want this part.” Of course, we remember both equally. In the stage play (I saw the preview version) the agent was more of a star than the would-be pilot. And to be honest, Tom Hanks was so good in the movie, didn’t recognize him.
Today’s WSJ also has an article about the new Peace Corps. A new college graduate, serving in Ukraine, writes that many of her fellow volunteers could be her grandparents.
Some of my own distance mentors and colleagues are considerably younger than I am. Of course I see them rarely, if ever. The Internet makes everyone seem ageless.
On the one hand, it would be nice if we got to be elders and sages as we grew older. I think humans are programed to expect increasing growth on all levels. I’d like to be known as a wise old something-or-other as I get older. But on the other hand, maybe seniority takes on a new meaning of supporting the younger players, sometimes literally.
